


the three people who weren't in love with him, and the one who was

by daveyjacobss



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, M/M, ultimately javid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 15:14:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17583245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daveyjacobss/pseuds/daveyjacobss
Summary: jack kelly, with his boyish charm and dazzling smile, had had his fair share of admirers. but only one ever fell in love with him.





	the three people who weren't in love with him, and the one who was

**one ;**

crutchie was the first of many. he couldn't help it when jack smiled at him like that. he knew jack saw him as more of a brother than anything else, but that didn't stop the way butterflies began to flutter around in his stomach every time jack looked at him with his infamous smirk. he loved to watch while jack painted landscapes for medda's shows, studying the way his face changed with every stroke - deep in concentration and finally in his own element.

when jack lent him one of his shirts because crutchie was shivering from the cold, he smiled brightly for the rest of the day. jack had said that his smile was as radiant as the sun, and crutchie had thought he might faint. he adored jack's softer side.

he liked the way jack had given him a new name, a new life. it wasn't always the happiest or easiest, and it certainly wasn't the richest, but it was his. and he liked the way jack saw something good in his dreadful limp, teaching crutchie how to use his bum leg to get more money out of his buyers. he liked the way jack always offered him some of his own food, always insisting no matter how much crutchie refused. and he liked the way jack talked about santa fe, liked to imagine the two of them living there together someday, happy and living life to the fullest.

he liked jack a whole lot, might even have loved him. but he had never been in love with him. jack had been a source of light and warmth during the cold and harsh winter, but then spring arrived and the flowers began to bloom. crutchie's infatuation with jack faded away, and he came to love him the way jack loved him. 

**two ;**

spot conlon, as much as he tried to pretend otherwise, was not unfeeling. and he was not blind, either. any fool could tell that jack kelly was as attractive as they came. not to mention he had passion and anger in him that, when shown, drew spot in more than anything else. not to mention his annoying cockiness that spot found so very amusing.

when jack came to deliver messages or to discuss business matters spot found himself watching the manhattan newsie's lips as he talked. during one of their meetings spot had simply leaned over and kissed him. he told jack it was just to get him to shut up, but he thought they both might have known that it was because spot couldn't stop thinking about those lips. jack had been his cocky, joke cracking self about it, and they never spoke of it again.

spot had liked the fiery parts of jack kelly. he liked the way jack stood up for everything he believed in, no matter what. and he liked the way jack challenged him, as so many others were afraid to do so. he liked the way jack stood in a room full of tension and anger as casual as if he was standing on the street, smile as arrogant as always. and he liked the way jack had kissed him back, just slightly.

spot had liked jack for a little while, he might have even loved him. but jack and spot would have been like fire and oil. his infatuation was gone as quick as it had come. instead, when meetings were held and messages were delivered, spot found himself watching as a new pair of lips wrapped around a cigar. spot conlon has never been in love with jack kelly, but there was a different manhattan newsie he might have been falling for.

**three ;**

katherine has never expected to like jack the way she did. he had started out as a story, a way for her to finally make the front page. but he had been attractive and endearing and sincere, and she was blinded by his smile. everyone was expecting them to end up together, it just seemed right.

she supposed part of it had been the adrenaline and excitement that had come with being involved in the strike. not to mention the rush that being with jack gave her, knowing that they were something her father would never truly approve of. their entire relationship had been built upon emotions pent up from the strike and the hardships of their lives, released unto each other in the form of affection and flirting.

she liked the way jack called her smart and beautiful. and she liked the way jack saw past who her father was, after the initial shock, and just liked her for her. she liked the way jack made her feel when he grabbed her hand and started running through the city, dirtying the bottom of her skirt and messing up her hair. and she liked the way jack let her talk about the things she loved and wanted, listening and supporting her.

katherine had liked for reasons that didn't hold up the longer they were examined. when they split up it was mutual, and their relationship was still amiable. in fact, they remained close friends. jack had been her way of disobeying her father and experiencing the rush of adrenaline the she adored. and while she had certainly loved him, she was not in love with him. that much was obvious when, only a week after they had ended their summer fling, katherine found that she perhaps craved a love even more forbidden than hers and jack's, and was suddenly much more of a constant presence in the jacobs's household.

**four ;**

it was an autumn day, mid october, and the air was crisp and fresh. the atmosphere of new york was a beloved one as the leaves changed shades. finally, the summer sun had relented, and the chilled wind that ruffled passerbys' clothing was a welcome one. the smell of fresh baked bread and pastries filled the air, drawing people into the warmth of bakeries all throughout the city. the mornings were especially cold, but around midday it reached the perfect temperature for comfort. new york in autumn was a delightful experience and a pretty sight indeed, and jack had been itching to paint it.

ever since the strike had ended and he had been convinced to give up on his fantasy of santa fe he had begun to appreciate the beauty of new york more than he had ever before. on that particular day, he spent hours talking davey's ear off while they were selling, describing the way the brown bricks of the buildings and the oranges of the leaves complimented each other in the most breathtaking and delicate way as if davey was blind and couldn't see it with his own eyes. still, davey endured jack's words with a smile, enjoying the way he made it all sound like some fantastical land far, far away from the smoke and dirt of manhattan. and, after they had sold their last paper, davey accompanied jack to medda's theatre so that he could finally paint the picture he had been so poetically speaking of all day.

les had stayed home that day as requested by their mother in order to help her and sarah with some of the chores around the house, so there was no need to worry about getting him home. they shedded their coats when they walked into the warm theatre, and davey failed at concealing a smile at the sight of jack wearing the sweater davey's own mother had made for him so he could stay warm as the seasons began to change. it suited jack, made him look a bit younger and certainly brought his boyish attractiveness. heat rose to davey's face at the thought, shaking his head to rid himself of it quickly.

most of the time, jack worked in silence - and davey was content to simply watch as he created an entire world on each canvas. that day, however, jack asked davey to tell him a story. davey laughed lightly in response.

"and what kind of story do you suppose i tell you?" he inquired cheekily, smiling brightly. jack looked over his shoulder at him with a grin on his face that put all of the beauty in new york during the autumn to shame.

"any type of story 's fine by me. just tell me one you like." there was a moment of silence as davey tried to think of story that partner would enjoy and jack mixed his paints. jack was the first to interrupt the quiet, speaking up again "i just.... i just like hearing your voice, 's all. it's real calming, ya know? helps keep me focused." in an instant davey's cheeks were as red as the leaves on the trees had been, but his smile only brightened.

he began to tell the story of the most recent novel he had read, doing his best to remember all the details. all the while jack continued to paint, reacting to the story with a laugh or a comment occasionally. when the story was finished jack only had a few details to finish up, having worked quickly so he could be done before the image escaped his head. the painting was absolutely breathtaking, even more so than usual. davey watched in awe as jack made his last stroke with the paintbrush.

jack turned around and caught him staring at it, but davey was so lost in the painting that he didn't even notice. a soft smile graced jack's face at the sight of his friend, basking in the way his heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. he briefly wondered how davey would react if jack ever showed him the dozens upon dozens of sketches he had done of him. there had been countless nights and days where jack had spent hours sketching the soft curve of davey's lips when he smiled, or trying to capture the light in his eyes that made an appearance whenever he laughed. his back had ached from his time spent hunched over his paper trying to get the details of davey's hands just right, or attempting to replicate the soft look of davey's hair.

"do you like it?" he asked, nervous even though he could already just how much davey liked the painting.

"like it? are you kidding? jack, it's amazing! it looks just like it did earlier today! more beautiful, even!" jack blushed slightly, smiling at the ground as they both put on their coats and hats.

"you're always too kind to me, dave." his voice was soft, filled with an emotion davey couldn't identify.

"i'm not being kind, jack. i'm just being honest." their eyes met and they smiled at each other with the grins they always seemed to reserve just for each other. they were standing close, close enough for davey to be able to see the way jack's smile dropped the tiniest bit, and close enough for jack to be able to see all the details of davey's eyes as they left his own and traveled down his face.

suddenly, they weren't close enough. jack was reaching for davey at the same moment that davey was reaching for him. their lips met softly, holding their place for just a second before they parted. jack pulled away, his eyes fluttering open as he opened his mouth to speak. before he could get a single word out davey had pulled him close again, kissing him once more with much more passion and need. jack kissed back hungrily, hands gripping the lapels of davey's coat as davey's hands curled up in his hand and pushed his hat off his head. there were a million words exchanged in that one kiss.

unlike the others, davey jacobs didn't just love one side of jack kelly. he loved his softer moments and his fiery ones. he loved the rush of adrenaline jack gave him and the way he could always calm davey down. he loved the way jack made his heartbeat speed up whenever their hands touched. he loved the way jack could make the bleakest picture look like a work of art. he loved when jack accompanied him back to his house and stayed for dinner. he loved how well jack and les got along. he loved jack's way with words that even he himself didn't seem to realize. he loved the way jack made he feel like he was floating. he loved jack with everything in him.

when they finally separated for air they were both breathing heavily. their cheeks were flushed and their eyes were bright. they smiled at each other, soft and steady, as they stayed standing as close as possible. they didn't need to say it, it was clear as day in front of them. jack kelly was in love with davey jacobs.

and davey jacobs was in love with jack kelly.


End file.
